July 25th, 2008
As a woman, I’m always surprised that more women don’t drink beer. It’s not unusual for me to be the only beer drinker in the crowd. Case in point: over the weekend, I was in the minority as a woman at an Irish bar drinking pints of black and tan in the midst of girlfriends throwing back cocktails.
Of the 10.7 billion pints of beer sold in the UK annually, only 13% are drunk by women. This inequity is finally being addressed by Coors UK with a new business division codenamed “Eve.” The company is trying to woo women with more “girly” variants. Also on the company’s check list, touting the value of beer’s lower alcohol and calorie count compared to wine.
The British Beer & Pub Association has also jumped on the women should drink more beer bandwagon with its “Beautiful Beer” campaign. The BBPA is aiming to change the way that we think about beer by making it, well, pretty. Tops in the campaign are tulip-shaped glasses, which apparently make you feel more elegant whilst drinking a beer. Really? Cause I don’t get it.
The goal among various brewers and marketers is to change the appeal of beer by introducing it as a “lifestyle” product. It could actually work. Think about how cosmos a la Sex and the City revitalized the cocktail market - it wasn’t that the drink tasted any different, it was that our perception of the drink changed.
Personally, as a woman and a beer drinker, I love the idea. But is anyone else having difficulty *getting* that a company associated with the Coors twins is now reaching out to women?
Tags: ad campaigns, beer, British Beer & Pub Association, Coors, women
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By Kelly -- 4 comments
July 24th, 2008
Joris Pattyn, a Belgian beer expert and champion of Belgian beers, recently gave Budweiser a whirl. Pattyn tried out InBev’s newest “flagship” beer and didn’t exactly give rave reviews. Among other things Pattyn had to say, he commented that Budweiswer was “a beer for students getting drunk…it will take hours but eventually it will happen.”
Hmm, wasn’t that Bud’s slogan?
You can see what else Pattyn had to say here:
Tags: Belgian beer, budweiser, InBev, Joris Pattyn
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By Kelly -- 3 comments
July 23rd, 2008
New Belgium Brewing Company, the third largest craft brewer in the US, has kicked off the Tour de Fat this year, beginning in Chicago. The Tour is in its 8th year and continues to make an impression with parades, entertainment, bicycle skill contests, and, of course, beer. The Tour began as a means of increasing awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation.
The Tour, which has already hit Chicago and San Francisco, is scheduled to hit Truckee, CA, this weekend. The remaining schedule is:
Aug. 02: Seattle, WA
Aug. 16: Portland, OR
Aug. 23: Boise, ID
Sept. 06: New Belgium Brewing (Ft. Collins, CO)
Sept. 13: Denver, CO
Sept. 20: Durango, CO
Oct. 11: Tempe, AZ
Oct. 18: Austin, TX
Tour de Fat is free to participants. Sales of beer and merchandise benefit local cycling non-profits. Last year, the event raised more than $245,000.
What else is happening? Find out after the jump.
Read More
Tags: beer, bicycling, cycling, New Belgium Brewing, Tour de Fat, transportation
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By Kelly -- 0 comments
July 22nd, 2008
All too often, we think about picnics as giant affairs with multiple courses. But why not make it a more basic affair as the Europeans do?
Ditch the potato salad, put away the cole slaw and say goodbye to the grill. Instead, go for simple flavors: some cheeses, salami, pepperoni, olives and good crusty bread.
The key, of course, is the bread. Try this one:
Polish Beer Rye Bread
This recipe is for a bread machine and tweaks just slightly a bread found in The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook, which I highly recommend.
1 c beer (we last used Victory Hop Devil - the original recipe called for flat beer but I’ll go on record as saying that I don’t have the patience to wait “several hours” so I kept my open only a few minutes)
3 T vinegar
1-1/2 T honey
1 T melted butter
1 T minced onion
2 c bread flour
3/4 c rye flour
1/4 c wheat flour
2 T cornmeal (I use a very grainy milled cornmeal from NC)
2 tsp caraway seeds
1-1/2 tsp salt
(You may also want to add 2 T gluten - not gluten flour. This isn’t a terribly heavy bread but it does both rye and wheat flours which can make it dense. I’ve made it with and without and prefer it with
Place everything in your bread machine, set crust as desired (I like medium), 1-1/2 pound loaf and basic/white bread cycle. Hit start and sit back.
Come picnic time, cut with serrated knife into thin slices. Pack up in a ziploc with a paper towel to absorb the moisture - or use aluminum foil. Keep your cheeses and meats in blocks - you can slice them up as you go. No plates needed, just a few napkins, a knife and a cutting board. Wash it all down with a nice wheat beer. Perfection!
Tags: beer, bread, bread machine, European style picnic, picnics, Polish beer rye bread, rye bread
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By Kelly -- 18 comments
July 22nd, 2008
“Ice… cold… beer!”
It’s not just a pitch at Toronto Blue Jays games, it’s a tradition. For more that six years, Wayne McMahon would make his trademark pitch as he sold beer at baseball games at the Blue Jays’ Roger Centre.
McMahon was fired two weeks ago when he allegedly broke Aramark’s rules. Aramark claims that McMahon failed to check ID when he sold two beers to a 22 year old “mystery shopper.” While he did not break the law, he apparently broke Aramark’s policy. Aramark requires vendors to ask for ID for any patron who appears to be 30 years old or under. Additionally, Aramark prohibits vendors from selling two beers to the same person. McMahon denies that he sold two beers to any individual, claiming that he believed the beer was for a friend.
McMahon protested his firing, claiming that he has never had any disciplinary action taken before and has passed six other “mystery shopper” tests.
Aramark has said that their ruling is final.
The 62 year old McMahon’s reaction? “It’s a done deal. I’m so very, very disappointed, crushed.” His lawyer has indicated that a wrongful termination suit is in the works.
His fans’ reaction? No way is he leaving quietly. More than 15,000 people (15,552 as of this morning) have joined a Facebook group to “Bring Back Wayne” with a link to Aramark’s online contact form for those who want to tell Aramark what they think. More than 2,000 people have signed a formal petition asking that McMahon get his job back.
McMahon is so popular that he’s even appeared on MTV Live - every day last week.
Clearly, his firing has struck a chord with baseball fans. But is also raises interesting questions about drinking and responsibility. In an increasing litigious world, vendors and stadium owners are on the hook for sales to minors and sales to people who may become intoxicated at sports events. Is it a fair and proportionate response to terminate vendors who violate policies which are arguably in place to protect fans at the game from underage or drunk patrons? Or is it too much? I’d love to hear what you think.
Tags: "beer guy", Aramark, beer, facebook, Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays, Wayne McMahon
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By Kelly -- 0 comments
July 20th, 2008
All summer long, I’ve beaten myself up about not planting hops. I had previously posted a quick primer on hops vines that got me to thinking about planting some in the garden. And I didn’t. I had already planted three clematis vines, only one of which has taken off, leaving my garden with an ugly bare spot. Serves me right, I guess.
Next year? There will be hops.
Hops are pretty vigorous growers and not particularly picky. Today, on twitter, the enjoyable Jeff Louella posted that he had photos of his hops garden on his blog. I thought the photos were great and Jeff graciously agreed to let me link to him from the site. So wander over and take a peek.
While I was planning on planting hops for purely aesthetic reasons, Jeff’s vines are for use in homebrewing. Be sure and stop by his blog from time to time to see how it’s going.
Tags: beer, Brewing, homebrewing, hops
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By Kelly -- 0 comments
July 20th, 2008
As some of you may have guessed, I like beer. In fact, I love beer. And beer is a beverage often associated with summer.
Unfortunately, summer is the one time of year I have difficulty picking a beer. I know, I know, there are beers which are well suited to warm weather just as there are beers which are suited to cooler weather, and I’ve talked about those earlier this week. On a day with strong sunshine and temperatures in the 90s, I find picking a beer to be rather difficult. In fact, last weekend we were at a backyard barbecue and, although I brought beer, I didn’t drink any.
As an alternative, I will also sometimes indulge in *gasp* an alcohol-free beer. If you’re really in the mood for a beer, but can’t get past that strong afternoon sun, a Beck’s or Clausthaler alcohol-free might fill the bill.
Tags: barbecue, beer, summer
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By Chris -- 0 comments
July 19th, 2008
You may have noticed that a lot of photos on this site come from Wikipedia. Now, Wikipedia is a great resource, and I’m happy to have it, but I thought it was time to start providing some of our own photos.
To that end, check out the brewha-ha flickr site. It’s clearly a work in progress, since it includes whatever beer-based photos I could scrounge off of my hard drive (sadly, much of my beer photography is on print film). Check back often for new and, hopefully, interesting photos reflecting the history and culture of beer.
image from me
Tags: beer, photography, photos
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By Chris -- 0 comments
July 18th, 2008
If you’re up in the Northwest (or have frequent flyer miles to burn), the Portland International Beerfest looks like the real deal - 140 different beers, a beer garden, and an impressive international showing. I may have to put this one on the calendar for next year. If you go, let us know how it is.
Tags: beer, festival, portland
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By Chris -- 0 comments
July 17th, 2008
I spend a fair amount of time in Europe, where there are a lot of very interesting old bars and beer halls. As this post points out, while old bars in the US aren’t as old, they’re every bit as worthy of a visit. Check ‘em out.
Tags: bars, beer, old
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By Chris -- 0 comments
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